Tony and Becky Robbins were still building Namale Plantation on Vanua Levu when we stayed there in 1975, but it appears to have been transformed into the very exclusive (and expensive) Namale Resort.  Nonetheless, here are my memories as of 1975.

I had some Yagona while I was staying at Namale Plantation.  It was an interesting experience, since yagona is not an intoxicant, but a mild anaethestic, so it starts affecting your outer extremities first.  First, my fingers and toes lost feeling! Yagona tastes a bit peppery and a bit soapy, and the ceremony built around the serving of this beverage is probably more important to Fijians than the drink itself.

Yagona (pronounced yan-gonna) is the Fijian name for the same beverage consumed elsewhere as Kava.